Loki did not die after falling into the abyss of space.
The cosmic abyss beneath the Rainbow Bridge was not ordinary space, but a passage leading to unknown regions of the universe.
Loki was rescued by a Chitauri alien and brought before Thanos.
After a brief interaction, Thanos took a liking to Loki's cunning and his understanding of Earth, and struck a deal with him.
He handed Loki two key items:
One was a scepter inlaid with the Mind Stone, the Mind Scepter, which could control the thoughts of others;
The other was a Chitauri army, a powerful alien force to support Loki's invasion of Earth, making it easier for Loki to seize the Tesseract for him.
But Loki's willingness to accept the deal with Thanos was not so simple.
First of all, Loki had to admit that the power of Thanos's forces far exceeded his imagination.
With just a few words, the other party dispatched an entire army for him to command, and so casually handed over that scepter brimming with mysterious energy.
What kind of extravagance was that?
At the same time, it meant that Thanos did not worry at all about Loki pulling any tricks behind his back.
But as the God of Mischief, Loki publicly promised Thanos that he would conquer Earth, while privately doing it to prove himself to Thor and Odin.
Back in Asgard, Loki had suffered setbacks because of his identity and power. This time, he hoped to gain recognition by ruling Earth.
At the same time, Loki planned to secretly use the power of the Tesseract to break free from Thanos, just like he had done when he killed Laufey.
This was what Loki was best at.
The scepter in his hand emitted waves of energy, faintly pointing toward a certain place on Earth.
Loki realized that the Tesseract and the Mind Scepter were probably far from being as simple as they appeared on the surface.
———
On the phone, Nick Fury let out a sigh.
In all these decades, when had he ever been this miserable?
Fortunately, he had the good habit of wearing a bulletproof vest. Otherwise, dying at the hands of his own subordinate would not have been a glorious way to go.
Hawkeye was already one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top-tier combat assets, yet he was controlled in a single encounter.
The newly awakened Captain America, Steve Rogers, was certainly well suited to lead the Avengers from a willpower standpoint. But purely in terms of combat strength, he was still lacking.
The first person Nick Fury thought of was still Corin on the other end of the line.
If only Destiny had Steve's kind of will to protect America.
But knowing Corin's style, Fury understood that this guy's mindset was freer than the free nation beneath his feet.
Every time he wanted Destiny to step in, he had to go through an annoying round of bargaining, but this time was different.
He had already obtained authorization from the World Security Council and could mobilize enormous resources.
With that foundation, whether Corin was willing to actively join the Avengers no longer mattered.
'Isn't it just money? Take it.'
'Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.'
Thinking this, Nick Fury felt completely confident when facing Corin.
Unaware that he was about to be firmly "handled" by S.H.I.E.L.D., Corin listened to Director Fury's slightly self-mocking account over the phone and felt quite surprised.
'And this is supposed to be "nothing much"?'
'Just a minor issue, a fatal injury, that's all… right?'
'Throw this guy into lava and in the end there'd probably still be a mouth floating on the surface.'
"Director Fury, looks like you've run into some big trouble."
At this moment, Corin could only marvel at how tough Director Fury really was.
["Destiny, this matter is no small thing, and it's not something you can handle alone."]
["I know your rules. One billion dollars! Help me…"]
Hearing Nick Fury's offer, Corin was a little surprised.
'Director Fury, who is usually so stingy, suddenly has a change of heart? Handing out one billion dollars so readily?'
'Looks like this incident really hit hard enough for the egghead to get serious.'
But a mere one billion dollars no longer held that much appeal in Corin's eyes.
Didn't Thor casually toss him a little badge that could easily be exchanged for eight billion?
Not to mention the Destroyer's metal bars, which were worth twenty billion.
Asgardian stuff was just good. When it came to cashing it in, it was always pure profit.
But who knew whether the Rainbow Bridge had been repaired yet. Even if it had, without someone to lead the way, he still couldn't get there.
Besides, after the previous round of upgrades, the money in Corin's account was almost gone. A measly two hundred million dollars, what could that buy? Nothing.
Those flashy-looking talents no longer caught Corin's eye.
Corin suddenly remembered that Thor was prominently listed among the Avengers assembled by the egghead.
Find Thor as soon as possible. Only then could his grand plan of sweeping Asgard for cash truly be realized.
Thinking this, Corin decided to tag along with S.H.I.E.L.D. for now, just coasting along while waiting for Thor to show up.
But business was business, and things had to be made clear beforehand, "Director Fury, although one billion dollars isn't a small sum, your commission this time seems a bit too vague."
'In other words, if this fight dragged on for a lifetime, are you really expecting to buy me out with just one billion?'
Nick Fury knew that Destiny never acted without seeing the payoff first. But the situation was urgent, and he still had follow-up plans. Securing Destiny first was a crucial part of his strategy.
From the moment the Avengers Initiative was born, Nick Fury had imagined countless times what kind of superheroes would be brought together.
He had long realized that trying to unite so many self-important superheroes into effective cooperation would be extremely difficult with just him alone.
As the Avengers candidates gradually became clearer, Nick's worries only grew heavier.
Just take Tony Stark alone. He was already not the most likable personality, let alone adding others into the mix.
With one wrong move, these so-called allies could start fighting each other. There had to be someone capable of holding the situation down.
In Fury's eyes, Destiny was perfectly suited for that role.
He was good in every way, mainly because he had no feelings. As long as the money was enough, he was extremely useful.
Nick Fury let out a light snort. He was no longer the same figure he used to be.
First, secure the one in front of him. Then turn around and roll out the flying fortress, the Helicarrier.
'You think the only one who burns money is you?'
'Isn't it just money~'
'The authorization of the World Security Council. You small fries probably don't even understand its true value.'
["Five billion dollars! Mr. Destiny, help us resolve this crisis."]
Nick Fury boldly multiplied the price by five.
Corin's hand holding the phone paused slightly.
'Good lord…'
'Tony, you, all of you. Turns out you've got plenty of money in hand, you just don't like spending it, huh?'
Corin forgot that in business negotiations, no one is ever generous.
Thinking this, Corin felt like he'd just been slapped with a wad of cash.
He didn't hate it, but it was still a little irritating.
Because he could tell that Nick Fury wasn't hurting at all, which meant there was room to squeeze him some more.
"Not enough."
Corin's calm voice reached Nick Fury's ear.
["What?"]
The egghead hadn't expected that even after raising the price to five billion, he still couldn't secure Destiny.
He had been under "great" pressure himself when he called out that number.
'Sigh… rushed it…'
Taking a deep breath, Nick Fury realized that the other party had caught a flaw in the details of his wording just now.
After all, his authority had suddenly risen to a higher level, and that inevitably brought a bit of overconfidence.
It also had something to do with his eagerness to move on with the next phase of his plan.
This rang an alarm bell for Nick Fury. At their level, one always had to keep one's acting skills sharp.
'So be it…'
["Ten billion. Mr. Destiny, that's the limit…"]
Nick Fury's tone carried a trace of sincerity and helplessness, and even more weakness.
Hawkeye's gun had a large caliber. The injury was probably a fracture.
On the other end of the phone, Corin felt it was about right, "The usual rule. Transfer the money first."
The call ended.
The weak look on Nick Fury's face instantly vanished. He glanced lightly at the phone.
And smiled…
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